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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — letters
  5. bass — low music
  6. lean — thin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mark — a grade
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bass — the fish
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com